Donut Shops

Donut shops are an intrinsic and iconic part of the American food service landscape. They are a style of quick-serve restaurant serving glazed and decorated yeast-raised and cake donuts, coffee, milk, and juice. Commercial donut shops began in 1920 with the invention of automated donut-making machines and bagged mixes. With low start-up costs, mechanized production, and franchise support, many shops grew into successful national chains while donuts became a familiar, egalitarian food. Shops decorated with chrome, counters, stools, and neon signs sold a growing variety of donuts and coffee drinks, often 24 hours of day, across the United States as highways and suburbs expanded after World War II. Shops evolved in the 1960s and 1970s, expanding menus, becoming big businesses, or just disappearing. Following a ...